Dental plate.



PATENTED FEB. 14, 1905.

H. J.TARR,JR.

DENTAL PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1904-.

Patented February 14, 1905.

ATENT FFICE.

HERBERT J. TARR, JR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DENTAL PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 782,627, dated February 14, 1905.

' Application filed April 27,1904. Serial No. 205,065.

1.0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT J. TARR, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fixtures for holding false teeth in the mouth, and particularly 'to the construction of a suction chamber for holding the dental plate in place. The objects of the invention are, to provide a dental plate with a superior suction device which is comfortable to the wearer; to provide improved means for fastening the suction diaphragm in place in the dental plate; to provide a removable suction diaphragm, and to generally improve the structure and operation of dental plates. These objects, and other advantages hereinafter to appear, I attain by means of the construction illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an under plan view of a dental plate or false palate, having my improvements applied, and

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section along.

line (2) in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a modification.

In the ordinary construction of dental plates the suction cavity is formed by the insertion of a small metallic plate in the middle of the palate, and this is usually fixed in place by being fused into the substance of the dental plate, and is not renewable. It is extremely difficult to make ametallic suction plate of such form as to be comfortableto the mouth and to fit hermetically in its place in the dental plate, and when it becomes perforated or distorted, the entire dental plate is rendered-useless until softened and remolded in order to insert another suction plate. In order to overcome these difficulties and others, I provide the dental plate 3- With a removable suction chamber formed by the use of a diaphragm 5. In order to maintain the diaphragm in place, I provide an opening in the dental plate and surround it by a U-shaped metallic ring 6 which is anchored by projections 7 in the'hard rubber of the plate in the molding of the latter, and this presents a circumferential grooved ring around the periphery of the cardioid form of opening in the plate. As seen more clearly in Figure 2, I secure the diaphragm 5 in place by inserting its edges in the opening of the ring 6 and then expand and fix therein a metallic wire ring 8 to hold it firmly in place. The diaphragm 5 is preferably made of soft rubber arched downward, and both edges of ring 6 have rounded beads to avoid cutting it. The recess under diaphragm 5 is thus capable of contraction and expansion and may vary with the suction, and the diaphragm will readily resume its first position and accommodate itself to the mouth and will feel comfortable therein. When the suction diaphragm becomes injured or distorted in any way, or for any reason it is desired to be renewed, this may readily be done by removing the ring 8, and taking it out of the grooved ring 6, and a new diaphragm may be placed therein. Other advantages of the device will readily occur to those familiar with the art.

While I have described the use of soft rubber for the diaphragm, it is obvious that any yielding substance could be used in place thereof without departure from the spirit of my invention, and further that, if desired, any suitable auxiliary means, such as the strip of spring steel 9 mounted above the diaphragm, might be employed to aid it to resume its original position, shown in Figure 3;

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the follow- 1. A dental plate having an open space therein and a removable diaphragm temporarily scing a circumferential channeled ring around the opening therein and anchored 1n thematerlal 0f the plate, a suction diaphragm having its edges doubled and placed in the chan-' nel of the annular ring, and a holder ring sprung" into place in the said annular ring" to anchor the edges of the diaphragm, substan- I tially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunder slgned my, name 1n the presence of the two sub- I0 scribed wltnesses.

HERBERT J. TARR, JR.

Witnesses:

PAUL CARPENTER, EDWARD C. BURNS. 

